Yanks faked Crawford interest to cost Red Sox  —  They really will do whatever it takes to win in this epic rivalry.  —  New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman admitted on Thursday that he feigned interest in Carl Crawford this offseason to drive up the price for the Boston Red Sox to sign the free agent.

Carlos Santana's walkoff HR leads Indians over Twins 6-5  —  CLEVELAND - Jim Thome gave Cleveland fans one more memory, and so did Carlos Santana, whose pinch-hit homer leading off the bottom of the ninth gave the Indians a 6-5 victory over the Minnesota Twins on Friday night.

Rangers crowned AL West champs  —  The Texas Rangers are AL West champions again.  —  Josh Hamilton and Adrian Beltre hit long home runs and Craig Gentry had an inside-the-park homer in a 5-3 victory over Seattle on Friday night.  About two hours later, the Rangers had their second consecutive …

Brewers win NL Central title  —  Ryan Braun snapped a tie with a three-run homer in the eighth inning as the Milwaukee Brewers clinched the National League Central title - their first division championship in 29 years - about 30 minutes after their 4-1 victory over the visiting Florida Marlins on Friday.

Martin: ‘I hate the Red Sox’  —  NEW YORK — Russell Martin's views on the American League Wild Card chase won't win him any buddies in Boston, but his sentiments should gather plenty of support in the Bronx.  —  Martin said on Thursday that he'd love to see the Yankees play spoiler …

MLB asks judge to order sale of Dodgers  —  Major League Baseball does not intend to approve any sale of television rights that would help Frank McCourt maintain ownership of the Dodgers, according to the request filed with a bankruptcy judge.  McCourt's plan to emerge from bankruptcy is ‘dead on arrival,’ MLB says.

Martinez's Double in 11th Gives Tigers Win  —  DETROIT (AP) — Victor Martinez's run-scoring double in the 11th inning gave the Detroit Tigers a 4-3 victory over the Baltimore Orioles on Friday night.  —  Brandon Inge started the inning with a walk off Willie Eyre (2-2), and Miguel Cabrera …

Melvin won't let contract be a distraction  —  MILWAUKEE — One of Brewers general manager Doug Melvin's best friends earned some job security on Friday, when the Reds signed GM Walt Jocketty to a three-year contract extension through 2014.  If Melvin gets a similar vote of confidence, it would not come until after the season.

Kemp Homers to Lead Dodgers Over Padres  —  SAN DIEGO (AP) — Matt Kemp moved a step closer to the NL Triple Crown with a solo homer and Ted Lilly combined with three relievers on a four-hitter, leading the Los Angeles Dodgers to a 2-0 victory over the San Diego Padres on Friday night.

Morrow, Blue Jays Deal Blow to Rays' Playoff Hopes  —  ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Brandon Morrow pitched seven scoreless innings and the Toronto Blue Jays further dampened Tampa Bay's playoff hopes, beating David Price and the Rays 5-1 Friday night.  —  The Rays have lost four of five …

Uggla, Braves beat Strasburg, Nationals 7-4  —  WASHINGTON—Dan Uggla and the Braves knocked around Stephen Strasburg a bit in a three-run first inning, and Atlanta helped its bid for a playoff berth by beating the Washington Nationals 7-4 Friday night.  —  Tim Hudson (16-10) …

D-backs take NL West with 3-1 win over Giants  —  PHOENIX — The Arizona Diamondbacks completed an improbable run to their first NL West crown in four years, beating San Francisco 3-1 Friday night when rookie Paul Goldschmidt lined a two-run triple off Sergio Romo in the eighth inning.

The Moneyball revolution from someone who helped it happen … Today, the movie version of the book Moneyball will be released.  I've seen the movie, and I enjoyed it.  You can read a thousand reviews by sportswriters on the movie itself, and I encourage you to not do that and just go see the darn thing for yourself.

2002 ‘Moneyball’ draft class in review  —  A's had some success stories, but they also had an unwitting victim — Jeremy Brown  —  If Oakland A's general manager Billy Beane is the engine that drives “Moneyball” — the book and movie versions — Jeremy Brown plays the role of the caboose.

Cubs dent Cards' postseason hopes  —  Alfonso Soriano dealt the St. Louis' wild-card hopes another serious blow with his first home run of the month, a tiebreaking three-run shot in the eighth inning that sent the Chicago Cubs over the Cardinals 5-1 Friday night.

Danny Litwhiler dies at 95  —  CLEARWATER, Fla. — Danny Litwhiler, who followed an 11-year major league career in the 1940s with a lifetime of coaching college players and work on inventions intended to improve the game he loved, died Friday at the age of 95.

Tigers Justin Verlander undoubtedly most ‘valuable’ player … Go on.  Get out your scale.  —  Forget that we are from Detroit.  Forget that we love the Tigers.  Put your guys on one side and Justin Verlander on the other.  —  And let's see who's MVP.  —  Forget that Verlander is the best theater in baseball right now.